The white bunny

I woke up to fire. "Fluttershy! Wake up!" My husband had awoken me. I stood up and jumped out of the bed. "We have to get out of here!" My husband shouted. "Lie as close to the floor as possible! We have to crawl out!" I yelled back.

It was easier said than done. Random objects were falling everywhere. The cottage was falling apart. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I suddenly froze.

Over on the counter were the bottles of olive oil I had bought a few days ago. "Oh Faust," me and my husband said in unison. Just as the bottles exploded, my husband threw me to the ground to protect me from the blast. I gasped when I saw that the shadow of the flames were shaped like a bunny. I froze completely. I was in shock.

Not wasting any time, my husband threw me on his back, and ran out. Just in time too. By then, the flames had reached the gasoline storage. The blast was so powerful, it almost burst my eardrums, and my vision got blurry. Red spots were dancing in my eyes. As I blinked them away, my vision got clearer. I let out a scream when I saw what had happened. The whole cottage had exploded.

Small flaming parts flew into the bunny village, the puppy playground and the cat salon. I watched as the critters evacuated from their flaming homes.

I froze. I do not know how long I stood there as a statue, but I came to my senses when the fire department arrived. I had a blanket around me, and my husband was sitting down beside me. I decided to join him. He put a reassuring hoof on my shoulder.

It was more than I could bare. I lunged at him, crying. I couldn't stop crying. He held around me in a failing attempt to comfort me. I cried and I cried until I had no tears left. We stood there, hugging for a while. I knew he was sad as well. But he had decided to stay strong for me. He always was a gentlecolt.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw my friends approaching.

"Oh, Fluttershy! Are you okay?" Twilight asked me.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little shocked, that's all," I lied in an attempt to reassure her.

"Ya sure, sugarcube? I can tell yer lyin," Applejack asked. I let out a sigh.

"Fine! I have never been so afraid since queen Chrysalis revealed herself. But I'm fine, really," I said.

"Ok, if you say so. Perhaps you two could stay at my castle while we find you a new home," Twilight suggested.

"No thanks. The animals won't have anywhere to be then," I answered. "I'll figure something out. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Ok, if you say so," Twilight said. I knew she was concerned. I could see it in her eyes.

Then I noticed a crowd of ponies around the ruins of the cottage. I walked closer. They were murmuring about something I didn't quite catch. Then I saw it. A single wall remained. It had been completely untouched by the flames, exept for a burnmark that made me gasp in horror. The mark was the shape of a bunny with only one ear and a slit throath. Just seeing it made me uneasy. I tried to walk away casually, acting like nothing was wrong. I stumbled a little, but I managed to push it out of my head. I didn't think of it any more. I probably should have.

Mayor Mare found us a house at the edge of Ponyville. It wasn't like the cottage, but it was perfect overall. The property was big enough for the animals to play, the walls were solid, and the basement was roomy, perfect for storing firewood, though we needed to be careful not to put too much weight on the plaster walls. Of course, we accepted right away. The next days were full of hard work. Me and my husband started to build the habitats, with a little help from my friends. After a week, we were finished. It wasn't as pretty as the habitats at the cottage, but it was manageable. We knew the critters would be building on their own at that point.

When we prepared for bed, my husband looked puzzled. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked him.

"Haven't you noticed? When I counted the animals when we got this house, I noticed that Angel wasn't there. And the day before the cottage caught fire, Angel had a missing ear. I just don't understand. Even if he was wounded, he would be able to get away from the flames, right honey?" He asked.

"W-well, maybe he's just hiding. O-of course, there is a possibility he got e-eaten by a timberwolf," I said very nervously. He was on to something. I had to convince him that Angel died naturally. "I mean, it wouldn't be the first time one of the animals have dissapeared. He might have run away, too," I kept lying. Is it lying if you are avoiding the truth? It isn't being honest, but it isn't a direct lie, is it? I don't know.

"Yeah, that is possible. You tould me he kept complaining about food, bed and other animals. And if he heard what would happen if he wasn't treated equally to the other animals, he might have ran away," my husband reasoned. He had accepted that lie. From that moment on, we didn't talk about Angel at all. But I couldn't help but feel guilt and even... loss. I denied it, but a part of me missed Angel. And that wasn't a good feeling. So I decided to try and find a new bunny at the same place I found Angel.

Everfree.